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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0252.PDF
IfiJCHT) umc he plugged on, and landed his machine just thia side of Ypres; hil obaerverTnelped by tome gunners, got him out and took him to a farm, where they bound him up and then sent him down on an ambulance to a dressing station. But the main artery had been cut, and the old chap died from loss of blood an hour afterwards. " It was a magnificent effort bringing the machine over the lines and landing it, thereby saving his obierver, when he was half- fainting the whole time through loss of blood. Well, it is war— but it hits hard sometimes ; be was one of the best. I might mention that the bullet which got him was the only one that even hit the machine at all. I tell you these things, not to put you down in the dumps (you have more sense, I know), but because they are after all the things that matter nowadays, and it should do you good and make you very thankful to hear how some of our men out Hera can die. " I had to tow a pilot out to where the machine landed for him to bring it back, and took the opportunity of nosing round near the firing line again." Particulars have been published in the Matin regarding the fight in which Lieut. Guynemer, who has brought down a number of German machines, has just been wounded in the region of Verdun. Fortunately, his wounds are not serious, and after two or three weeks in hospital he will tie able to return to duty. On March 15th Lieut. Guynemer started off on a new and smiller but more speedy aeroplane than usual. He noticed two German aircraft above him, and attacked one from the rear. The German machine turned over and crashed to the ground. After this first victory Guynemer swooped down on the second German aeroplane, but, misjudging his speed, he got ahead of the German after having only fired seven or eight shots, which went wide. The enemy, seizing the advantage, opened fire and some splinters struck Guynemer in the face cutting somewhat deeply into his cheeks and nose, while two bullets went through his left arm. Guynemer let himself drop like a stone for about 1,000 ft. so as to give his opponent the impression that he had brought him down. The German, thinking the battle won, proceeded on his way. Meanwhile, Guynemer recovered himself, and steering bis machine with one hand, succeeded in landing within the French lines. The National /.tilting of Basle (Switzerland) reports great activity of Zeppelins in lower Alsace. Count Zeppelin is stated to have left the headquarters of the Crown Prince, and is now con ducting experiments near Mulhausen. The Daily Mail comments on this that " It may be only a coin cidence that the 'goods station' at Mulhau-en, which is 20 miles north-west of Basle, was one of the places selected by the French for their air raids in force during the week-end." In a despatch describing a five days' visit to the British front in Flanders, the London correspondent of the New York Herald says:— " While watching this engagement, which the official communii/ui' reports as * desultory firing,' I was thrilled by watching the chase of a Taube by two British aeroplanes. The machine guns of pur suer and pursued barked viciously, but the Taube was too speedy and found safety, though it was the target of many aircraft guns as it passed over the British positions, by disappearing behind a clump of trees into the German lines, the trenches of which, paralleling in xigjiag fashion those of the British, were plainly discernible through a field-glass. This Taubs, it seems, was discovered as it was pre- ® ® The Weather Zeppelins Have Come In. COMMENTING upon the analysis by the correspondent of the Daily Chronicle of the atmospheric conditions prevailing upon the occasions when Zeppelins have visited these shores, the aero nautical contributor of the Oburier points out one or two discrepancies as follow :— " An article in a daily newspaper endeavours to show that Zeppelins have in the past raided England during any phase of the moon, and in winds designated as 'strong breezes.' A list of raids il given, together with the weather, the phase of the moon, &c The list is, however, misleading as to important facts. " For example (1), it instances the visit of April 29th, the day of a full moon. This raid actually occurred on April 30th in the early hours of the morning. The moon, which was about full, set at 3.57 a.m., and it was very low in the sky when the Zeppelin came. Moreover, the raid was a very trivial one. "(2) The raid of May 10th which occurred during a strong breeze. This, again, was a hunied 'cut and run' visit, and it rather exhibited the laider's disabilities. " (3) May 87th, in a strong breeze, and one day before full moon. As a matter of fact, the raid was on May 26th late at night. But the sky was overcast. MAKCH 23, 1916. paring to bomb a town which had been the object of a previous raid by enemy aeroplanes. " Snow again on Monday—a day made interesting by a visit to a British aerodrome just as several aeroplanes, ready to bomb, were starting on a flight over the enemy's lines. Here I got a close view of the Bristol Scout type of aeroplane capable of doing something like one hundred miles an hour. I also saw scores of other machines, including several battle biplanes. I was amazed at the sangfroid of the mere boys, who, in an aeroplane carrying eighteen to twenty-four of these bombs, start daily and sally forth from this aviation base over the enemy's lines into the jaws of death. I used to laugh at the Charlie Chaplin moustache. I now look upon it as the red, brown, black, or blonde badge of courage." Mr. George Ward Price, writing from Salonika to the Daily Telegraph on March 18th, says :— " Last night a Zeppelin made another appearance in the direction of Salonika, but got no nearer than some twelve miles away. It dropped about twenty bombs, which fell on open ground. This afternoon, at the moment of wiring, two German aeroplanes, taking advantage of the fine weather, have just flown over the town at a great height, heavily bombarded. They are now disappearing northwards." The Telegraaf on Monday states that Allied airmen on the previous day made a reconnaissance on the Belgian coast. At two a.m. on Monday another aeroplane appeared over Zeebrugge and was subjected to a heavy fire by the Germans. A British squadron appeared at four a.m. and began bombarding the German positions on the littoral. The bombardment was still in progress at half-past eleven this morning, and the German batteries were making a vigorous reply. The sound of the guns, however, was gradually receding, showing that different parts of the coast were being bombarded. Writing to the Daily Mail horn Paris, on March 15th, Mr. W. L. McAlpin said :— " The French airmen continue to add to their long list of triumphs. One of their most recent feats deserves more than pass ing mention. A brilliant young airman, whose name I am not at liberty to mention, wtnt out reconnoitring over Alsace. On his way back he caught sight of four enemy biplanes coming up from the south to attack him. Instead of profiting by his superior speed to give his opponents the slip the Frenchman boldly challenged them. Diving into the midst of the enemy craft he opened fire with his machine gun. His markmanship was good, and so cleverly did he manoeuvre that he brought down one of the four. The three others fled, and the French pilot resumed his homeward flight. "The same day 11 French airmen, 5 of whom were flying in double-engined aeroplanes, started on a raid over Brieulles railway station, north of Verdun. After dropping 42 dynamite bombs on sidings where the Germans had accumulated large stores of shells and munitions they returned safely." In a message on the previous day regarding the marshalling of new German forces for a fresh attack, Mr. McAlpin said :— " Indeed, one division of them caught by French air observers when crossing the open ground south of Forges, marching to take up assaulting positions on the fringe of the Crows' Wood, suddenly found itself a mark for a dozen batteries of French 6-in. guns. The Germans hurriedly withdrew, but not before they had left a grim tale of dead and dying." ® ® " (4) May 31st, three days after full moon. This raid occurred on the previous day, late at night. The moon, however, only rose at a late hour—10.44 p.m., so that the suggestion of bright moon-, light is misleadirg. " (5) June 6th, two days after last quarter—not a strong moon in any case. But the raid occurred late at night, and the moon rose after the Zeppelins had gone. "(6) September nth, two dsys after new moon. And it was a daylight moon, for the • Oueen of Night' rose at 8.4 a.m. and set at 0.30 p.m. " The other raids were in calm weather and on moonless nights. " It is really extraordinary that an article professing analytical care should go so far astray. We know that Zeppelins raid our coasts by daylight, and, admittedly, the raid of March 5th last during snow showers was a surprise. But the snow was local, and there 19 evidence that the raiders were handicapped by it severely. But why magnify the energy and powers of the enemy ? " Lights during Zeppelin Raid. AT a Lincolnshire police court on Monday, an Austrian by birth, naturalised as a British subject, was fined £,\o for displaying a light which might have served as a signal, guide, or landmark while Zeppelins were overhead. 252
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